Grayson’s Vow

“Forget the prince and princess. I always imagined the real story was between the witch and the dragon.”

Mia Sheridan could never have prepared me for being a Dallas Cowboys fan. Why? Because she has never, not once, not ever, let me down. Tony Romo on the other hand…well we’ll just say I never get my hopes up when watching a Cowboys game. However, when I see that a new book has been released by Mia Sheridan, no force on earth can stop me from grabbing my kindle and buying it on the spot. I took a few hours the other day, and scoured lists of New Adult, Adult, and Young Adult releases for Fall 2015. I thought I had got them all and that my most anticipated list was complete…somehow though, I missed Grayson’s Vow. It’s a good thing I was scrolling through the New Adult tag on tumblr, or it might have taken me months to find this book. Precious months without having this greatness in my life.

Grayson’s Vow is the fifth book of Mia Sheridan’s that I have fallen in love with. If you’ve read my reviews for Kyland or Leo, you’ll know I can’t say enough good things about this author and her books (Note: I just realized I’ve never written reviews for Stinger or Archer’s Voice. That will be remedied soon). Grayson’s Vow is different from those in only one aspect: the characters get married before they even fall in love. This is one of those stories, where two people marry for convenience and then fall in love before they get the divorce they had agreed upon. It’s a plotline that’s been used a thousand and one times, and yet with Mia Sheridan, I didn’t find myself rolling my eyes and complaining about a predictable ending. Because yes, the ending is predictable, but it’s not the ending that matters. The message of the story isn’t that they fell in love because they got married and inevitably fell for each other after living in close quarters. The message of the story is that hope is stronger than the darkness, and even the dragon and witch can find true love. Those people that we cast aside as bitter, worthless write offs can find love in even the darkest of times. That’s the beauty of every Mia Sheridan novel, and what sets her apart from other romance writers. It’s not about the ending, which always, always predictable, it’s about the incredibly heart-wrenching, touching journey to the ending.

“If you let it, pain makes more space for love within you. And the love we carry inside makes us strong when nothing else can.”

While Mia Sheridan won’t ever leave you with the pain of disappointment, she will definitely rip your heart out a few times. Pain is a constant, tangible theme in each of her books. It’s an extremely critical aspect though; her characters are real, and the pain they experience adds to that vulnerability and honesty. Grayson and Kira were no exception. Both were dealing with residual pain from their pasts. That pain not only bonded them, it made them stronger. They’re both extremely desperate at the beginning of the book, clinging to their last threads of hope. It’s out of this desperation that they marry. They need money, and they need it now, and they can’t get it without each other. What Kira never could have imagined is that one of her Very Bad Ideas would turn into her Best Idea Ever. Grayson learned to let go of his bitterness, built up from years of abuse. He learned something that a lot of people, myself included, are struggling to wrap their heads around and accept; being bitter doesn’t hurt anyone but yourself, and the only way to truly move on and thrive in life is to let go of the bitterness. Together, Kira and Grayson embarked on a journey full of ups and downs, tears and laughter, and a whole lot of sass. And I love every moment of it.

Today may be a very bad day, but tomorrow may be the best day of your life. You just have to hang on until you get there.

I’m giving Grayson’s Vow 4/5 stars because it did take me awhile to get into the book, and begin to like the characters. It definitely wasn’t her best book (Kyland is still the strong winner. I cry every damn time). However, it was still fantastic, and definitely deserving of 4 stars. I didn’t stop reading it, even though I was tempted, because I knew that this was Mia Sheridan, and I wouldn’t be disappointed. And I wasn’t. You won’t be either, I promise. I swear on my books. So go ahead and grab a copy, and while you’re at it, check out her other books as well. While the Dallas Cowboys may leave you moping on the couch and sighing in defeat, Mia Sheridan’s novels never will. Ever.